Torched villages, dead civilians, squalid refugee camps: Myanmar's Rakhine state is caught in a cycle of horrific violence. Here's why

BEIJING _ A crisis is unfolding in western Myanmar.

Since Friday, at least 18,500 Rohingya, a Muslim minority in the country's conflict-ridden Rakhine state, have fled a surge of violence by crossing into Bangladesh, according to the International Organization for Migration.

"There are probably thousands" more stuck in a no-man's land at the Bangladeshi border, said Chris Lom, the organization's Asia-Pacific spokesman. Ahead, border guards block their escape from the state. Behind, their hometowns are engulfed in flames, reportedly burned by Myanmar government forces.

Many fear for their lives. Most are women and children, and some are wounded, the U.N. refugee agency has reported. At least two women and two children drowned while trying